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605114 tn?1252108396

methadone detox, feel bad still, worse- tramadol??

ive been off methadone addiction for 40 days, and was thinking i'd be feeling way better. which is making me now think, oh god, ive dug a hole by using tramadol to ease the methadone yuks.... been off tramadol for 1.5 days now and feel awful. no energy, agitated. i know i know, i was warned... i do wish now i had listened, to all you who warned me, and to myself. so much for stopping tramms after 2-3weeks. i had to go away for the last two weeks for a thing where i used to live, deal with lots of people, and tramadols were what enabled me to drive 1000km and do all i had to do, so i kept taking them way over the 3 week limit id set myself.

i guess my question is..... (aside from writing to waste slowly ticking time!).... i took between 50-100mg of instant release for first 4 weeks, then the last week, all i had was 200mg slow release, which sometimes i'd take whole, and other times i'd break up into quarters (against dr's orders- 200mg seemed too much). so given that, what do people think about how yukky this will be? and how long will it last? maybe the methadone side of it complicates matters..... maybe it's still just methadone detox? surely after 40 days though i'd feel better than this.... I've got the flu as well, which is making me feel like dying.
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Avatar universal
Im taking Tramadol and although I have never taken Meth, my gut tells me you are correct.  Tramadol does trigger old withdrawals.  I had a bad case of flu like symptoms popping up from a very light withdrawal from codeine.  I have that now as soon as the Tramadol weans off a bit inbetween doseages.  I also believe people that suffer from restless leg syndrom which is a condition in itself (not just withdrawal symptom)...it is because Tramadol induces it.

Works very subtly on the brain which IMO is the most dangerous. I concur it has very hard withdrawals. Also, original poster mentioned he had the flu.

Very bad FLU LIKE symptoms are a brand withdrawal symptom from Tramadol.  and the depression, listnessness is horrible.
Helpful - 0
654633 tn?1224502848
i'm on day 10 of my detox. feel very good. slept  6hr last night thank god. today is by far my best day. but i had my mind right before i started.i went from 60mg to 15 in 2 months and cold turkey from there.life pretty muched suxed for 8 days. and better from there. still have a hard time sleeping but seems it's getting better every night.you can take anything you want but if your really ready all you need is a lot of will power. you will need more than that to stay clean.i used meetings. god and hot showers. it helped some but bottom line is it suxs. we come on here wanting to hear that it will be better on  day so and so. and if we take 2 of these it will go away. but thats not how it work. it suxs to come no matter how we do it. unless you have 5 years like some seem to say. im 40 i don't have 5 more years to throw away. who says i will want to get of if i taper for another year or 2. and what have we done to asure areself we can stay clean. when we are sick we think if i can get though this i will be ok. well i have detoxed many time's and most of us have. hell some of us do it so we can get high again.getting clean is the easy part it's staying clean thats hard. thats what we fail at.so i think if we don't know why we got high to start with we might be detoxing for nothing.i ask myself why did i get high and why do i want to stay clean now?because im worth it. and so is my family. there's lot's of people that will help if we ask. but if we are detoxing because we are broke. are dealer's out of town . are family want's us to. or if we detox but have not changed anything about areself i don't think it will work. i maybe wrong. would't be the first time.this is just the opinion of this recovering junkie good luck to all and god bless
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Avatar universal
I know that you have a lot of posts on this, but i sort of doubt that you are having w/d's from the tramadol. I think that what you are feling are the after effects of the methadone! I know of people who still feel quite miserable at day 40. So i'm thinking that the Trmadol might have just prolonged the W/D's...............but i could be totally wrong too!
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Avatar universal
Ive been on mdone for 22 yrs.. 1 yr ago, I was at 90  mgs.. Today, at 17 mgs, currently tapering 1 mg every 2 wks.  So long as I keep the taper pace below 15% reduction per month, i seem to be doing fine.  I think everybody seems to have different reactions to different taper rates.  Folks told me before I started my taper that with my long history at 90 mgs, Id probably be having major problems below 40-50 mgs,  Well, that never happened. Its been pretty clear sailing.
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372349 tn?1257795870
Hi...hope you can give me some feedback...I have been on done for 37 years...started at 100 mgs. now am on 35 mg. you think I can get off of this here bugger once and for all, or is it too saturated in my system?? I am relocating from NYC to SD and am going to move in with my son. I would truly like to end this liquid handcuff thingy once and for all...am turning 59 on Sunday, and would like to do this befor I pass on...what do you suggest??!
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Avatar universal
I took Methadone in the past.  And it just seems to me that Tramadol does the same sort of thing as Methadone, except on a much milder level.  But the withdrawals where very similar to me.  I know if someone had no Experience with Tramadol, and started taking it for about 5-6 weeks, like you did, then stopped, they would feel very very mild withdrawals, if any at all.  So you can't be feeling all those bad withdrawal symptoms you describe from a simple 5-6 week use.  I just think Tramadol is a very bad choice in drugs to use to come off of Methadone.  (Just my opinion)  Because it's going to be when you stop taking the Tramadol, when the withdrawals start.  (the methadone withdrawals)  Because the Tramadol is very effective at filling the same Hole as the Methadone was filling for you, because of how it works.  Again, I think it works similar to Methadone.  Now I could be wrong, but if I am, why are you withdrawaling from Tramadol so hard?  Because, in a complicated way, that's very hard to explain, it's not just the Tramadol you are coming off of.  Tramadol has a way of drudging up past withdrawals, and making one re-live them, in a way.  At least past Methadone withdrawals.  But just because those two work kinda the same.  I don't feel real good about even posting my opinion on this Subject.  But it is how I see it.  I am Only giving MY VIEW of how I see it.  And, I know all too well, everyone does not have the same effects from drugs, far from it.  But, I do Hope you feel better!  I swear it!  I'm just trying to explain this wild theory of mine.  Tramadol is nothing to pfff at though, I can tell you that.  And in 10 years, your doctor will agree with me.  Doctors just don't have a clue yet, when it comes to Tramadol and it's Evil Withdrawals.  I find coming off Tramadol just as bad as coming off Methadone.  And many people will say it is worse to come off than Heroin.  I just hope you have the strength to not go back to Tramadol or Methadone and stay clean.  I am keeping my fingers crossed for you.  And I do pray you make it.  Keep me posted, please.  All I know is that if you feel like this for weeks, it would prove my theory correct.  But if you feel pretty good in 5-7 days, I'm probably wrong.  Just don't shoot me if I'm wrong.  It's just an observation, going off my experiences.
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605114 tn?1252108396
thanks all. i still feel yuk, didn't sleep more than an hour at a time through the night. and my muscles are weak, they feel like ants have hollowed them out.

To Pan- why is tramadol similar to methadone? my methadone doctor kind of pfff-ed them, like oh tramadol, they are nothing, they don't even rate. Surely the methadone would still have left my system though? taking tramms didnt put a big stopper in the methadone exiting process? i can handle a few days of tramadol discomfort, as long as the methadone is gone! i guess i went for tramadol to help detox off done because they are far easier to get than the other opiates, they're kind of considered a sub-opiate, they keep more serotonin in the brain (good thing i figured) and i am a little scared of the bigger opiates now- i know how much i like endone, oxynorm etc and i really didn't want to go messing with them. but here, they are too hard to get here anyway, drs just go yeah right, you can have panadeine forte.

i'm definitely not going to go and get more. i'll just keep pushing though this stuck in mud feeling. i feel vaguely better today, so that's a plus i guess.

to worried- yeah, i meant i felt like the bad withdrawals had started again, weak muscles, cramping, skin chills quite bad..... all that stuff. and a wall of depression hit me. i know, exercise...... i just can't seem to force myself into that action! Yep, i got on methadone to get away from a heroin addiction. 14 years is just too long to be on merry-go-round of addiction, i'm ready for something better, i just didnt know it'd take this long!
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401095 tn?1351391770
support helps so much like clamity said...exercise can help the blah feeling as well..aminos/some are not expensive like tyrosine and it really peps me up.....i was not sure u meant u still feel horrible/no better that week1 or 2, or that u still feel fatigued and depressed at times?  if u r still physically ill then i would suspect it may be the trams...but feeling tired and depressed for a few months is normal after long usage of drugs like methadone...or any high use for long term...it took a while for me to be able to go to work without a rocket shot!  close to 2 months...wasnt sick but felt Blah!  either way...give it time...9 years can not be totally undone in 40 days..and i am supposing u may have been using something else before the methadone...or perhaps not if it was prescribed for pain...TIME...meetings...Positive things in ur life help
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325131 tn?1227184781
Congrats on the 1.5 days !  It will get better. You're halfway to day 3 . It takes time. But you should be feeling much better after the first week then better each week. that's why they give medals in N.A and A.A for 30 days 60 days 90 days first year. etc. We will change and grow it's certainly not a pain free process.
You sure have alot of support here.
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Avatar universal
I have Touched on this very subject.  I think Methadone and Tramadol have a Whole Lot in common, that they both, sort of do the same thing.  You came off the Methadone sure, but once you started Tramadol, every single pill was nothing more than a Huge Step Back in your recovery from Methadone.  Kinda like if an addict quits for a month, then takes a dose.  They kinda have to go through a whole bunch of withdrawals All Over again now, because of that one dose.  I will tell you though, Tramadol is not really any better to be addicted to than Methadone.  It is just as Evil, and it has just as Bad of withdrawals.  Lot of people been saying Tramadol withdrawals are worse than Heroin.  And we all know Methadone is without a doubt worse than Heroin.  The longer you stay on the Tramadol, the deeper your hole will get, eventually taking you back to square one.  And you will have to re-live all your withdrawals again.  If you are not already there.  Your body was using Methadone to get it's fix.  Now all it has done is got use to using the Tramadol to get the same effect.  And Tramadol is just so happen the One (1) Drug a recovering Methadone addict would NOT WANT TO DO!!  (You should have used hydrocodones, that's what I used to get off Methadone)  It will set you back more than almost any other pain killer, because of how it works, Similar to Methadone.  In other words, if you want to get past these addictions, Quit the Tramadol NOW!  Bite whatever bullet it gives you, and don't look back.  Any other road will take you right back to Full Blown Addiction.  You have not been taking Tramadols long, just Stop!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It is very possible that the methadone detox you went through is still there somewhat. Everybody responds differently. I went cold of it from 65mg and had been taking it about a year and 1/2.well I was sicker than a dog for about 5 days and then another 25 or more of starting to feel human. It's a very individual thing. I don't think the trams helped at all though..you will feel better soon. stay well hydrated and get those vitamins etc..in you.also make yourself get out and get some exercise..that helps quite a bit with fatigue..as for being sick..i hope you feel better soon..take care
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Avatar universal
Find out about the gas?  I saw a documentary on it, it was reported that emergency responders were told to bring opioid antagonists, although there was some sort of breakdown in communication and not enough was brought along nor were instructions given as to use.  So yeah, it follows that if they were told to bring narcan then the gas must have been an ope.

Well, I hope stuff works out.  I know all too well about being a junkie myself. :)  Ye are not alone.

Sept 5.  I took it because it was an "easy way out' at the time, I was really busy with work, bouncing back and forth between here in Nova Scotia and Ontario a lot, and so I copped out and took the 'done.  Never Ever Again though. :)  I was on 30 mg long ago and to be honest, I didn't find the wd that much worse this time around, cept for week two, but a couple of valium sandwiches got me through that. ;)

My ex was asking me tonight if I would detox her from her 'done, but I think in her case she is better on it.  I would love to see her totally clean, but I just know her so well and I reckon that I have a good idea of where all that would go.

peace  ray
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605114 tn?1252108396
oh, ps, no, not doing amino acids. can't find them around here and i'm not too into the idea of a big expedition into the city to find them! i could do it over net i suppose, but finding money to do so is an issue! i was taking heaps of vitamin/mineral supps, but found my liver starting to hurt like crazy, so stopped, and now it's not hurting... weird. i dont have hep c so it's hurting from something like that. i want to take supps again, and the amino's, but i dont want my liver to hurt. maybe it was just hurting from getting all the methadone out, i don't know. my pharmacist, on my last day of m'done said something about "your poor liver" so i'm figuring methadone does something hefty to it.
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605114 tn?1252108396
hi kova,
9 years m'done. tapered from 130mg to 5mg. yeah, i reckon it might be tramadol now. mixed in with lingering methadone w/d's. fun. it's not all bad but i go through periods where i think i'm dying. feel like i'm right back at square one...yuk. i can only hope tramadol yuks won't last too long, a few days maybe!? can't really compare to m'done i reckon.
so how long off for you now? must be... up around 50 or 60 days? well done!
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Avatar universal
wow, if you were on the methadone for that long i think you may still be feeling it.  i was on it for...about a year and a half, and i wasn't feeling GREAT at day 40.  still had low energy as well as this jittery not able to focus thing, and lack of sleep sure doesn't help.  are you taking the amino acids?
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605114 tn?1252108396
haha, thanks daystrom, that gave me the first laugh i've had all day! cripes thats scary though... how did you find this out?

huh... yeah, i thought as much about it being tramadol... i should feel better than this after 40 days off m'done. though.... was on it for 9 years, 14 years of opiate addiction all up (i reckon thats scary for a 32 year old, i just calculated it and went, OMG!!) so maybe my systems still just getting through it all. how to live life free of some (any!) kind of drug after spending my entire adult life so far as an opiate addict.... that i just don't know. i'd love to feel normal, but i can't remember what that is.

have considered going and getting more tramms, but am barring that idea. they sure helped keep my mood brighter though.

so how long off m'done? 110mg c/t. man, you are made of stronger stuff than me.
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Avatar universal
wow....to all of it.
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Avatar universal
My ex is on 180 mgs.  Her tolerance astonished me, it truly did.  I dunno if any of you recall this, back in 2002 when those terrorists took over that Moscow theatre?  Well the Russian special forces (Spetsnaz) stormed it and about 150 ppl died during the operation.  Anyway, they used an anesthazine gas to knock everyone out.  Apparently the gas was made from an opioid, although the Russians never released much about it because they felt it compromised security.  Based on my my experience, it was probably a fentanyl analogue, most like carfentanyl (10,000 times stronger than morphine).  Anyway, so yeah, reason most of these people died in the siege was that the Russian officials would not release details of the gas' composition to the docs at the local hospitals where the hostages were taken and as a result most of them ODed.  Had they released the info to the medical folks at the hospitals then simple naloxone (Narcan) shots would have saved most people.  Anyway, my point, I used to joke that my girl would have not only survived the attack, she would have had her head stuck into the intake fans sucking that stuff in. :) haha
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Avatar universal
yeppers
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Avatar universal
wow, did you go CT off that much?
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Avatar universal
Hey all.  I recently kicked methadone.  I was taking 110 mg.  I was sick for about 35 days.  I used benzos occasionally, mostly during the second week, which I found rough, and on the odd hump day.  I also took some clonidine for about 5 days or so during week 3.  That helped a bit.

The 'done should have cleared your system by now.  You are feeling tram wd.  I would cease that, use a few valium or something and you should be OK within a week (OK being a relative term here as you will still be in what I call "rung out dish cloth phase" for a little while. :)  Hope ya feel better soon!  ray
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Avatar universal
i just detoxed from methadone and used small amounts of Sub here and there to get by.  by day 40 i was feeling A LOT better.  how long were you on the methadone and how much?
Kova
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401095 tn?1351391770
I am not sure either but it could still be the methadone wd u r feeling...seems as if u used the trams at a prescribed dose..but does seem like some say they get addicted at small doses...at 40 days after hydro detox i still felt fatigued and in general not motivated and yucky some days..not physically ill but that part took close to 3 months for me to get back to close to my prior energy level..it is good u put down the trams...but u gotta give this whole thing some time for ur brain to heal...i dont know ur dose before..but 40 days is not enuf for most after narcotic addiction to feel "spry"

congrats on 40 days!
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340590 tn?1290952141
i am not sure..ppl who have used methadone say the w/ds last for a very long time....amd the trams are certainly not helping....i sure hope you get better soon...real soon.
Helpful - 0
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